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Due to the lack
of substantial documentation, much of the history of Karate-Do is
clouded in secrecy and has been lost to the mists of time. Sparse
documentation and a tradition of secrecy, has forced modern students to
base their interpretations of Karate-Do, in part, upon fragmentary
information gathered from the few surviving historical documents, but
mostly from a tradition that passed on information orally, from father to
son, master to student.

Nevertheless,
modern historians are in agreement that the earliest precursor of modern
Karate-Do originated in India, from whence a method of self defense
called Kempo was introduced in China by Buddhist monks, where it further
flourished for another two thousand years.

In 1340, Ryukyu
(Okinawa) entered into a tributary relationship with China, and by 1372,
Ryukyu (Okinawa) was formally invested as a tributary state of China by
the Ming Chinese Emperor. At this time, the first of a succession of 23
Chinese envoys was sent to Ryukyu (Okinawa), the main island of the Ryukyu
Island chain located about 3000 miles south of mainland Japan, 300 miles
north of Taiwan and 400 miles east of China. These Chinese Imperial envoys
traveled with several hundred craftsmen, artisans, monks, navigators,
scribes, etc., who resided in the village of Kumemura (Toeii). It is
believed that these envoys introduced Chinese Kempo to the native
Okinawans, who in turn blended these teachings with their native Te
(hand) to develop To-te (Tang hand or China hand), the Okinawan
precursor of modern Karate-Do. At this time, Okinawan students were
also traveling to China to learn Kempo.

In 1477, King
Shoshin of Okinawa banned the possession of weapons by the warrior class,
and forced the nobility to reside near the royal castle. At this time,
To-te and Ryukyu Kobudo (weaponry) commenced to be taught in
secret, in response to the weapon and Kempo prohibition.

In 1609,
Samurai of the Satsuma Clan invaded Okinawa and continued the previous ban
on the use of weapons. As their lives literally depended upon the utmost
of secrecy, early Kempo (To-te) practioners practiced at night,
away from prying eyes. This tradition of secrecy, no doubt, was in part
responsible for the sparse availability of written information, with the
martial art of To-te being preserved almost entirely through oral
traditions. In retrospect, most modern Okinawan Karate-Do masters
realize that this banning of weapons was a very wise decision, without
which Karate-Do might not have developed.

In time, three
distinct styles of To-te were formulated after their respective
villages (ie. Shuri-te, Tomari-te, and Naha-te)

In 1683, a
Chinese envoy named Wanshu (Wang Ji), a master of Kempo, taught
villagers in Tomari a kata named after him. In 1755, Sakugawa Tode
(karate) (1733-1815) traveled to China to learn the art of Chinese
Kempo. The following year, a Kempo master named Kushanku (Guan Kui)
and several of his students visited Ryukyu (Okinawa), and taught the
Okinawans a kata named after him. Sakugawa Tode (karate) subsequently
became a student of Kushanku, and has been credited with the impetus for
the development of modern Karate-Do. his most famous student was
Matsumura Sokon (Bushi) (1792-1887), master of Shuri-te, who taught
members of the royal family. At the same time in Tomari resided Matsumora
Kosaku, a master of Tomari-te. It is believed that Tomari-te
was derived from Shuri-te. In 1875, Higaonna (Higashionna in
Japanese) Kanryo (1853-1915) traveled to Fukien Province in China to
learn Kempo from Ryu Ryuko. On his return to Okinawa, Higaonna
Sensei taught a Kempo style called Naha-te. Shuri-te
and Tomari-te later gave rise to several styles of Shorin-Ryu,
while from Naha-te the style of Goju-Ryu was developed. In
the latter 1800's, another Okinawan named Uechi Kanbun also traveled to
Fukien Province to study Kempo, later returning to Okinawa and
introducing another style of Naha-te called Ueichi Ryu.

The 1936 Meeting of Masters:

In October of 1936, a meeting was held of the leading Okinawan masters.
The martial arts participants included Hanashiro Chomo (1869-1945,
shihandai of Itosu), Kyan Chotoku (1870-1945, student of Sokon Matsumura,
among others), Motobu "the Monkey" Choki (1871-1944, student of Kosaku
Matsumora), Miyagi Chojun (1888-1953, student of Higaonna Kanryo), Kiyoda
Juhatsu (1886-1967, senior student of Higaonna Kanryo), Chibana Chosin
(1885-1969, student of Itosu and founder of Kobayashi-Ryu), and Shinpan
Shiroma (also called Gusukuma Shiroma, 1890-1954).

It was at this meeting that the term "Karate"
(Empty Hand) was formally adopted in favor of the old "Tote"
(China Hand). The masters observed that the new "Karate" was
becoming very popular on the Japanese mainland. Okinawans such as
Funakoshi Gichin (1868-1957, a student of Itosu and Azato Anko,
and founder of Shotokan), Motobu Choki (1871-1944), and Mabuni
Kenwa (founder of Shito-Ryu), among others, had moved to the
mainland and successfully begun to spread the art. Funakoshi was
quite an innovator, adopting Judo's kyu and dan system, and
"modernizing" many of the kata. He had also changed the
traditional names of the kata, many of which were Chinese in
origin, in favor of Japanese versions. Okinawa's unique cultural
art was at risk of becoming "Japanese."

The
Okinawan Masters knew that something had to be done. They realized that
the status quo in Okinawa had changed relatively little since the turn of
the century. The art was broken into distinct "Te" systems. Generally, the
Naha-Te practitioners trained among themselves practicing their own kata,
as did the practitioners of Shuri-Te and Tomari-Te. The Pinan kata, while
widely taught and practiced, were distinctly of Shuri-Te origin. It was
time to attempt to bring the systems closer together and make Karate more
accessible to the youth of Okinawa. One of the participants, Fukushima
Kitsuma, a prominent military officer, recommended the creation of ten
kinds of Japanese kata with Japanese names. Miyagi stressed the need to
preserve the classical kata, but suggested that a national kata could be
created.

The 1937 Okinawan Prefectural Karate-Do Promotional Society:

The following year, the Okinawan Prefectural Karate-Do Promotional Society
was founded by several leading instructors, including Kentsu Yabu,
Hanashiro Chomo, Kyan Chotoku, Chibana Chosin, Miyagi Chojun, Gusukuma
Shinpan, Kyoda Juhatsu (student of Higaonna Kanryo), Chitose Tsuyoshi, and
Nakasone Genwa. The photograph above, taken at the formation of this
society is often attributed to the meeting of masters which took place the
year before. The members of the society followed up on some of the
proposals made at that earlier meeting and formulated up to twelve new
kihon (basic) kata.

Later that year, Kentsu Yabu, the most senior disciple of Itosu passed
away. Within a few years, almost all of the senior masters would pass away
as well from old age, the war or both. Motobu died in 1944. Hanashiro,
Kyan, Tokuda Anbun, Shinzato Jinan, and Matayoshi Shinko all died in 1945.